Services for Redmon set for Wednesday

Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

Services for Judge Gary L. Redmon will be noon Wednesday at Palm Mortuary-Eastern.

Visitation for the jurist who persevered through heart disease in Clark County Family Court in 1997 and 1998 and with a transplanted heart in District Court the last two years will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at that location.

Redmon, a Las Vegas resident of 35 years, was pronounced dead of heart failure Saturday night at St. Rose Dominican Hospital. He was 65.

After two decades as a criminal and family law attorney, Redmon was elected to the newly created Department H Family Court in 1996, only to leave that post two years later for the newly created District Court Department 19.

His term was to expire Dec. 31, 2002. Gov. Kenny Guinn will appoint a judge to fill the unexpired term. Court officials said Senior Judge James Brennan will hear Redmon's cases, as he did when Redmon underwent his June 2, 1998, heart transplant.

Born March 9, 1935, in Ottumwa, Iowa, Redmon was a Korean War Army veteran. He came to Las Vegas in 1965 and earned a bachelor's degree from UNLV. He later earned a law degree from the University of San Diego.

Redmon served two years as a deputy district attorney and in 1992 ran unsuccessfully for District Court. Four years later, he defeated fellow private attorney, Kendal Sue Bird for one of two new seats in Family Court.

In February 1999, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned a controversial Redmon family decision when the high court ruled that a mother should not be forced to choose between her children and her new husband in a child-custody case.

The court unanimously reversed Redmon's 1997 ruling that custody of three children be switched to a father whose ex-wife remarried and was scheduled to accompany her new husband to Japan, where he had been transferred by the Air Force.

Redmon, who had bypass surgery in 1980 and received a pacemaker in 1996, got his new heart during a 2 1/2 hour operation at the UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, and was quickly back on the campaign trail for District Court.

Redmon easily beat four challengers in the primary then defeated Drake DeLanoy, a founding partner in one of the state's largest law firms, in the general runoff.

Redmon was assigned cases involving two high-profile women -- murderer Sandy Murphy and accused killer Margaret Rudin.

In May, Redmon was assigned as the judge to hear Murphy's palimony suit seeking $2 million from the estate of ex-casino owner Ted Binion. Murphy and Rick Tabish later were convicted of murdering Binion.

In August, Redmon was assigned to hear Rudin's fraud claim against a man she claims provided her spiritual advice and convinced her to sell her movie and book rights to him for $1.

Redmon served as president of the Gift of the Heart Foundation, was a board member of the Nevada Organ Donor Network and served on the advisory board of the Children's Advocacy Alliance.

He is survived by his wife, Betty Redmon, of Las Vegas; a daughter, Stacey Kendrick of Henderson; three sisters, Virginia Krusemark, Deanna Redmon and Barbara Kerns, all of Las Vegas, and one grandchild.

The family says donations may be made in Redmon's memory to the Gift of the Heart Foundation, UCLA Medical Center, 100 UCLA Medical Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif., 90095.